The present invention relates to devices for optically acquiring data, and in particular to optical bar codes scanning devices.
Hand-held scanning devices are well known and used typically in connection with checkout stations at supermarkets and other retail establishments for reading bar codes on products being purchased by a customer. Such devices are also useful in connection with taking inventory and in connection with warehousing, shipping and storage of products. The assignee of the present application, Symbol Technologies, Inc., currently markets a Personal Shopping System wherein customers of a retail establishment can check-out individual product scanning devices, which are portable. During the customer""s visit to the store, the customer scans products being purchased as the products are placed in the shopping basket. Product information acquired during the customers shopping is either stored in the portable terminal to be read out when the terminal is returned or relayed to a store computer by local area radio. When the customer has gathered all desired products, itemized check-out is not required since the products have already been scanned, and the device or central computer can be used to prepare a full list of the customers purchases and the price to be paid by the customer.
Currently used terminals for the Personal Shopping System tend to be rather large and bulky because of the inclusion of computer circuits, a bar code scanner, batteries, and in many instances a local area radio. In order to promote greater utilization of the Personal Shopping System and improved customer and merchant acceptance thereof, there is a recognized desire to provide hand-held terminals that are smaller in size, lighter in weight, more easily held and used by the customer and provide greater functionality. The present invention provides an ergonomically designed hand-held terminal which uses more compact and light-weight electronics and provides an improved and more comfortable shape for use by the customer. In addition, there is a desire to provide a convenient mounting receptacle at which the customers receives the terminals upon entering the store and an accessory for holding the terminal while shopping. The present invention, provides a new and improved cradle for receiving and dispensing hand-held terminals to customers.
In accordance with the invention, a hand-held terminal is provided for optically scanning coded information. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the terminal includes an electronic housing having a major axis, an intermediate axis and an minor axis. An optical scanning device is mounted at a first longitudinal end of the electronic housing with respect to the major access. A multi-line information display is arranged on a top surface of the electronic housing, facing in a direction corresponding to the minor axis. A handle is provided comprising a handgrip having a handle axis and extending outwardly from the electronic housing at a second longitudinal end thereof. The handle axis forms an angle of approximately 15 to 40 degrees from the major axis and approximately 75 to 50 degrees from the minor axis. The handle axis is perpendicular to the intermediate axis. An operator control is arranged on the top surface adjacent the second end of the electronic housing for operation by the thumb of a user. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the hand-held terminal is provided with a transverse rest stand on an end of the handle remote from the electronic housing. An electrical connector may also be provided at the remote end of the handle. The display is preferably recessed in the top surface to prevent damage thereto in the event the terminal is dropped. To further prevent damage to the terminal, the exterior facing surfaces of the electronic housing may comprise a resilient, impact-resistant material. An indicator lamp can be provided on the top surface of the electronic housing. A trigger is preferably provided on the handle adjacent the intersection of the handle with the electronic housing. The operator controls on the top surface may comprise buttons or in one embodiment, may comprise a touch pad or, in another preferred embodiment, a touch screen with software defined activated keys.
In accordance with the invention, there is further providing a cradle for receiving a hand-held terminal. The cradle includes a rectangular base having first and second side walls and a rear wall. A front wall comprising a concave cylindrical mounting surface, is arranged between the side walls. A pocket extends outward from the mounting surface for receiving a handle of a terminal with a housing of the terminal partially surrounded by the cylindrical mounting surface. In a preferred arrangement, the pocket is arranged at an angle with respect to the cylindrical mounting surface corresponding to the angle between the handle axis and the major axis of the electronic housing of the terminal. The pocket preferably includes an electrical connector for engaging an electrical connector on the handle of the terminal. The pocket preferably comprises an open upper end for receiving the handle and an substantially closed lower end. An opening is provided in the lower end for allowing debris to fall out of the pocket. The pocket may additionally include a locking member and there may be provided a locking circuit connected to an electrical connector in the pocket. The electrical locking circuit responds to an unlock signal provided to the electrical connector by a terminal. In one arrangement, at least a portion of the front wall is fabricated of translucent material and one or more lamps are provided behind the front wall, arranged to be activated by a lamp signal provided to the electrical connector by the terminal. This translucent wall may consist of a replaceable insert which may be modified to include location specific markings such as store names, location identifiers and/or product advertising. The cradle may further include a member extending outwardly from the concave cylindrical mounting surface and facing the pocket for supporting a optically readable label and for receiving a single card reader member.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for providing self-service terminals to shoppers in a retail establishment. The method includes inserting a terminal in a cradle, which cradle includes a locking circuit and an electrical connector for supplying power to the terminal and for receiving data communication from the terminal. The cradle preferably includes an optically readable label. The terminal is operated to read the label and communicate label data to a central computer by radio. In an alternative preferred embodiment, the method includes reading customer provided identification at either a customer station or at the terminal and communicating identification data to the central computer. The central computer is operated to verify the customer identification and to select a terminal for use by the customer. Thereafter a radio signal is sent from the central computer to the terminal and the terminal is operated to send data communications to the cradle by the connector, the data communications operating the locking circuit. The customer is notified of the selected terminal.
According to one method, the customer may be notified by illuminating a portion of the cradle. Alternately, or in addition, a message can be provided on a display screen and/or an audio signal may be activated.
In accordance with the invention there is provided an electronic assembly for the hand-held data acquisition terminal. The assembly includes a lower housing member having an upper opening and an upper housing member arranged to close the upper opening and including a display window. A chassis is arranged to be mechanically mounted between the lower and upper housing members. The chassis has upper and lower recesses, such that a display can be mounted in the upper recess of the chassis facing the display window and a first circuit can be mounted in the lower recess of the chassis. A second circuit is mounted to the chassis covering the lower recess and the first circuit mounted therein.
In a preferred arrangement one of the housing members includes a window at a longitudinal end thereof and an optical scanner is mounted adjacent to said window on a support bracket carried by the chassis. The support bracket may be mounted to the second window and include a non-conductive spacer. An antenna can be mounted on the non-conductive spacer on a side opposite the second circuit.
In accordance with a further aspect of the invention there is provided an accessory for a handle on a shopping cart. The accessory comprises a body member having a receiving portion arranged to receive a hand-held terminal. The accessory further includes a clamping member connected to the body member and arranged to provide clamping action with respect thereto. The body member and the clamping member define an intermediate bore for receiving the handle. Within the base there is provided an interchangeable cylindrical clamp spacer having a periphery corresponding to the cross-section of the bore and an internal cylindrical hole with a cross-section selected to closely surround the handle.
In a preferred arrangement the intermediate bore is circular and comprises semi-circular cylindrical recesses on the body member and the clamping member. The clamping member can be pivotably connected to the body member at a first side of the intermediate bore and connected to the body member by a clamping screw at a second side of the intermediate bore. The clamping spacer may include an axial slot.
In a preferred alternative embodiment, the terminal is provided with additional modular accessories such as a keyboard, mag-strip reader, a heads up display including audio speakers, microphone and/or video; electronic surveillance tag deactivators, smart card reader, touch sensitive display and/or voice over IP capability. These peripheral devices provide additional functionality for the terminal so that they may provide additional terminal functionality. For example, the terminals may function as inventory terminals, a checkout register, terminal assistants to shoppers who may be blind, hard of hearing or have other disabilities, or function as a manager""s assistant terminal for retrieving audio/visual information from external locations. These peripherals, also referred to as a companion device, could be coupled directly through a communication port on the terminal or include a battery and transceiver to communicate with the terminal. In a further embodiment, the companion device includes a transceiver which is a radio which communicates directly with the same host network to which the terminal is coupled, but which is xe2x80x9cassociatedxe2x80x9d with the terminal by activating the peripheral device to communicate with the network scanning a special bar code on the peripheral device and thereby associating data entered on the peripheral device to the terminal.
For a better understanding of the present invention, together with other and further objects, reference is made to the following description, taking in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and its scope would be pointed out in the appended claims.